When the Gloves Come Off

It never fails, I mention hockey and someone makes a joke about the fights.

After reading squiboda's Blood Feud, I needed to do a little research.

What I found was several references to an "unwritten code." This very same unwritten code has been written about in Ross Bernstein's book, The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting And Retaliation In The Nhl. The unwritten code is not written? Hmmm.

The gist of the code is that players "protect themselves as well as their teammates."

For the untrained viewer the fights most certainly appear pointless. But as the Blood Feud proves, there is often much more to a fight than meets the eye. Fans know the difference. And the best players save the punches for the most deserving.

There is no good way to explain the nuances to those who never get to see a game.